Ahem, Africa Is A BIG Continent.

[kpete]

Africa is the world’s second largest continent. But it’s not unusual for Americans to classify it as a single entity, ignoring the many cultural, economic and geographic differences between its 47 countries. If three countries in Africa are going through an Ebola epidemic, the other 44 must be too, right?

These assumptions are not that different in tone from some of the other examples of how Ebola is motivating xenophobic sentiments in the U.S. For example, some people argue that closing off West Africa altogether is the right way to respond to the outbreak. Liberian immigrants in the U.S. are being refused service at restaurants and dropped from charity programs. Fox News’ Andrea Tantaros recently suggested that the people coming into the United States from Africa will seek medical care from witch doctors and practice Santeria.

This stems from a lack of understanding of Ebola, but it also points to some stereotypes about the African continent as a whole. Americans have a long history of dismissing Africa as a disease-ridden and primitive place.

MORE:
http://thinkprogress.org/health/2014/10/21/3582113/africa-geography-ebola/


one more time (I sent this one to FOX):
How Many Countries Can We Fit Into Africa?
http://maps101blog.com/2013/03/25/how-many-countries-can-we-fit-in-africa/

[La Lioness Priyanka]

1. but they are all black

so basically no differences at all

(in case that was not clear)

[logosoco]

2. They may live more "primatively" than we do,

but in many ways they have much more class.
As I have mentioned many times (because a mom likes to brag!) my son is in Tanzania working as a teacher for the Peace Corps. His house does not have electricity or running water, but some places on campus have electricity. He said data plans for cell phones are cheap and easy to get.

He is one of very few white people where he lives right now. The people are welcoming and friendly. It makes me ashamed of many people in America.
They also don't seem to live with a panic attitude about ebola, because they do live amid disease differently than here, but they have a much saner attitude. And they are willing to learn and work at how to make things better.
In some ways it is a better place, because it is not as profit driven as here.

[Marr]

3. Oh yeah, it's bizarre how maps represent the sizes of some places so inaccurately.

Africa is immense, but rarely depicted accurately, it seems. The same thing goes for Central and South America, oddly-- though to a lesser degree. I once drove from California down through South America and couldn't believe how long it was taking, lmao.